Two controversial thinkers tackle the equally timeless and pressing question: Should the philosopher intervene in current events? Nothing less than philosophy itself is at stake here. For Alain Badiou, philosophy exists—provided it does not want to stagnate in academic discipline—only as intervention, as engagement. It should be strange and new while still speaking in the name of all. Badiou illustrates this with his theory of universality, which he wants to be understood as a summary of his philosophy. Slavoj Zizek argues similarly: The philosopher must intervene, but in an unexpected way. In the contentious issues of the time, he cannot provide orientation, but he can demonstrate that the questions themselves are already misframed. According to Zizek, it is essential to change the terms of the debates. Thus, he arrives at a philosophy characterized by abnormality and excess.